More Fight, Less Fuel: The Defense Department’s Deployment of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Summary

On July 27, 2011, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), E3G and Operation Free held a briefing in which top military and civilian experts discussed the Defense Department’s leadership on energy efficiency and renewable energy. Speakers included:

The Department of Defense (DoD) is the world’s largest consumer of energy, consuming 135 million barrels of fuel and 30 million megawatt-hours of electricity at a cost of over $20 billion per year. Every $1 increase in a barrel of fuel equates to an extra $30 million in costs for the Navy.

An example of how the Navy incorporates energy efficiency into its operations is when ships come in to dry dock, hull and propeller coatings are checked to improve operating efficiency. New ships will be more efficient; the USS Makin Island saved $2 million in energy costs in its maiden voyage from Mississippi to San Diego.

The Marines invited industry to show them new technologies. Winning technologies were tested in a war-gaming environment, and within six months some went into field use. Examples include solar blankets, LEDs, and renewable generators and battery systems.

A traditional patrol needs a “battery refresh” every 2-3 days. New technologies extend the time a unit can operate independently up to three weeks. Energy security enables troops to better conduct their missions and be more resilient, flexible and independent in combat.

This week (July 25) represents the one year anniversary of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Departments of Defense and Energy, which has produced projects like TARDEC (Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center), fuel cell development and deployment, and other areas of cooperation.

The Armed Services have led on a number of areas of cultural change, like smoking eradication and racial and gender integration. Energy sustainability is seen as another example of how the military can be a model for the nation. However, Richard Kidd, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for energy and sustainability, noted that the rationale to develop sustainable energy is primarily to remain operationally relevant and viable.

Reliance on heavy batteries and generators force soldiers to be “tethered to a supply chain,” according to Army veteran Drew Sloan. New technologies, like the solar blanket, have received a positive response from soldiers using them because it offers more operational flexibility.

Energy efficiency and renewable energy is creating a “mental shift” in the military. Soldiers who have been working with more efficient, forward thinking systems will be less accepting of status quo solutions to domestic problems like high gas prices when they return home.

“Our energy reliance in this country is a serious threat to national security; economically, diplomatically and militarily,” according to Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn (U.S. Navy, Ret.). “The over reliance on fossil fuels can be exploited by those who wish to do the U.S. harm.”